


Speed Dating

by BuckysButt, josiemoone



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Boys In Love, Developing Relationship, Falling In Love, Fluff and Humor, Humor, M/M, Modern Era, Muggle Era, Speed Dating, alternative universe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-01
Updated: 2017-09-01
Packaged: 2018-12-22 11:46:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,169
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11966718
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BuckysButt/pseuds/BuckysButt, https://archiveofourown.org/users/josiemoone/pseuds/josiemoone
Summary: When Lily attempts to set Remus up with a friend of James', he ends up following a purple leaflet instead. What Remus doesn't expect is the raven haired man, who was about to take his breath away.





	Speed Dating

**Author's Note:**

> Written for HogwartsHouseNet on Tumblr in the Harry Potter Big Bang Fest by myself. The prompt provided was Muggle AU Wolfstar. The aim of the fest was to work with an artist and create a written and artistic piece.
> 
> Art for this piece was done by the wonderful PeachyScorbus [BuckysButt], who has slowly become someone I call a friend. Please go check it out, [link: http://softalbus.tumblr.com/post/164901184607/hogwartshousesnet-mini-bang-event-speed-dating]
> 
> A huge thank you to ProfessorDrarry for beta'ing this, and filling me with confidence, love and happiness.

**Speed Dating**

* * *

 

He had hoped for a quiet afternoon at home. Taking all of his books, new and old, from the shelves of his barely standing bookshelf. All he knew was that an itch ran all over his body; the discomfort that reminded him he needed to organise his things. Yet here he was, stood before several piles of multicoloured books, with a woman who wouldn't be quiet for love or money.

Lily Evans was a beautiful girl, with a heart of pure gold. She'd always had courage and grace, even from an early age, when they had first met. She had even stood by him when he lost his mother in a car accident on his fourteenth birthday. The driver was someone his father had angered, and to this day the scars from that night stood out like stars in a clear night sky on his skin. This happened to do nothing for his tense relationship with his father, a constant reminder of that night in physical form.

Remus had never had a particularly strong relationship with his father before the accident, but it became even more strained when his mother had passed — and so Remus spent most of his time with Lily, who never protested once.

It seemed, in Remus' opinion, that she had stacked all of these things up ready to use against him when he was older. From the times he had leant on her for support while grieving to the times she had woken up early to come to the library so that he could get the best books.

_You need to go out more, Remus. You should come with me to the club. Have you seen much of your Dad since you moved out, Remus? You should date more, Remus._

None of the things she asked him to do — and failed to do — was from lack of trying. Nights out became crippled with worry. When Remus thought about busy and packed spaces, it freaked him out before he even got there — and even getting ready for such things made him feel close to a breakdown. None of this was helped by his father, who especially disliked his _way of life_. Dating seemed out of the question when he was as socially awkward as he was — Staying in seemed the _logical_ way _._

Remus turned to face Lily, hoping to stop another conversation spiralling out about how he should meet James' friend because ' _he'd enjoy it'._ Although, his failings to stop her from chuntering on had already meant that Remus arrived at this junction. That didn't mean he couldn't stop her mid-conversation though.

"Lily," Remus warned as he furrowed his brow. His tone light and playful, but his eyes conveyed his true feelings. "You mean well, I know, but you're interfering again."

The red haired woman crossed her arms, her cheeks lightly blushing as her eyes shimmered with anger. " _Interfering_ makes it sound like I don't know what I'm doing. _I know_ what I'm doing, Remus Lupin."

He bit down on his lip, half wanting to snigger at her annoyed stance and how silly she looked. Another part of Remus was terrified of the fiery female — especially after the other night when she had punched a man in the pub for getting too _handsy_ with her and Dorcas.

"Lily, my beautiful flower —"

"Don't you _beautiful flower me_ ," her tone playful, but Remus didn't miss that hint of annoyance. "That may have worked in school, but not now. I'm wise to your trickery and games."

Remus clutched his chest, painting an exaggerated look of surprise, . "I'm hurt, Lil. I'm actually in pain from your accusations."

"You will be," Lily snarled, and Remus smirked proudly as he moved a book from the desk onto his bookshelf, Lily huffing as she sat on his bed. "I just want you to be happy, Rem. You live in a flat with a _human rat_."

"Peter, is not a rat."

"He looks like one! And I am sure he hoards food," Lily hissed, disgusted.

Remus couldn't help but roll his eyes. It wasn't that his best friend hadn't tried to get along with the man he'd met at college, the two of them simply had no common interests — except that they were friends with Remus.

"I don't want to go on a double date with James' friend," he said as she opened her mouth to speak, but he quickly raised his hand to silence her. "For now, this box set of _**The Walking Dead**_ and I are acquainting ourselves."

"Ew," Lily shuddered. "You'd think blood and gore would be the last thing you'd want to see."

Remus smirked, looking at her with a self-righteous expression. "Because I was in a car accident at fourteen that left me scarred with _terrible_ , horrid memories of blood and guts?" Lily's cheeks flushed, "Or because I fainted when I had my booster injections at the sight of blood?"

"The latter," she snarled, and he almost felt bad until a second later. "Because the former would leave you terrified of cars...oh wait! It has. Besides, James' friend has a —"

Lily had always interfered, and she would always pester. Even with his taunts, he knew it all came from a good place in her heart; it was a place where her love for him grew and her continuous acceptance of him flourished. She loved him

That being said, she wasn't taking no for an answer, and so Remus turned to her with a heavy sigh. "Lily, please!" His tone suddenly silencing the words. "Please, just… not today. Please?"

Remus loved her too — they were family. It was the only reason he put up with it and the very reason he hadn't pushed her away. He had done with so many others, but she was different. He had known that the first time they had met.

Lily Evans was and always had been uncommonly kind to him, especially when Remus deserved far less. She stayed by his side in his self-loathing, and even listened as he promised her one day he'd be happy — and while he would have done, she never, not once, rolled her eyes when he did.

* * *

He had no _idea_ why he was here. The blasted purple leaflet had caught his eye, and left him pondering for several hours while he tried to complete his shopping. Remus was not the sort of person to become intrigued by leaflets in the street — and yet, for the rest of the day, all his mind could focus on was that darn leaflet from the cobbles.

Burned into his brain, purple like Quality Street, and glaring letters declaring ' _ **A**_ _**Hogwarts Event The Three Broomsticks'**_ would be guaranteed to change his life — Remus' very rational side had known it was unlikely, and so he'd scoffed loudly in the street. Not that many cared to hear or pay much attention; strangers rarely cared about scoffing individuals, whose lives needed changing.

He had held onto the leaflet for a lot longer than he usually would, and Remus couldn't help the feeling of excitement that bubbled in his stomach like water on a hob. It was disconcerting how normal it felt, to feel excited — he never usually allowed himself such trivial feelings. There was always too much to do, too much to think about; Remus could always find something something else to focus his attention on, like making to-do lists that did in fact better his life.

His hand remained holding the purple leaflet, his thumb stroking over the smooth laminated paper as his brain also reminded him that he had nothing to lose. That the small village of Hogsmeade where he lived wasn't filled with a lot of men — especially those who liked _other_ men.

So, he forgot about his daily to-do list, throwing caution to the wind and normality along with it. Remus tucked the leaflet into his pocket, and went in hunt for the place that would _change his life._ He assumed upon arrival that there would be plenty he could scoff about, or at least corners for him to observe from — the story, at least, would be entertaining to Lily, even if he found discomfort in it the entire time.

But when Remus arrived, his eyes went wide with wonder at the small place he had never noticed — the pub that he had heard so much about, but never chose to see it for himself.

"Name?" The woman before him asked, the giant banner above her head reading ' _Registration'_.

Remus blinked. He knew his name, for goodness sake, but it wouldn't form on his tongue, and it wouldn't fill the air between him and what he assumed was the organiser for the event. He urged himself, he told himself countless times to just say his name — to make up a new name, even, as long as it was spoken out loud.

It seemed easier to tell her straight up that he was a broken, scarred man who needed his life changing — rather than simply telling her his name, as utterly stupid as that was. He'd been here two minutes, and he already felt _ridiculous_.

 _Ridiculous_ , he mused to himself, he quite liked that word.

"Um… Mister? Your name," the woman nodded her head to the paper before them, an uncomfortable silence swirling between them, "we kind of need it."

"Re - Remus," he stuttered, "Lupin, _Remus_ Lupin." He desperately wanted to facepalm; how could he even forget his own surname. How could he say his name in the style of James Bond, like he was someone important!

The urge to throw open the pub door and throw himself back out into his comfort, his shopping and his routine, rose with each millisecond he stood waiting for her pearly blue eyes to gaze over him again.

The scratching of her pen haltered, and she looked at him questioningly. "Animal?"

This time he frowned with reason. Had he missed something or was this woman just out of her head? The crease in his brow must have been prominent, because the female smiled sweetly and it instantly put him at ease — it reminded him of his mother, so warm and patient.

"To protect your privacy after and during the event, we ask you call yourself an animal. When you find out if you've been picked by the same person you've picked, then you can reveal names," the brunette said with a perpetual smile. "Have you, _speed-dated_ before?"

Remus shook his head, and let out a nervous laugh as the woman handed him a clipboard. Did he truthfully look like someone who had? He wasn't even dressed for the occasion — he was dressed to go shopping in the skirts of the town centre, and he was cloaked in clothes that helped him blend in. If the other attendees dressed like him, he was worried what would be _changing his life_.

"Real name," her nail pointed, "animal, contact, and an email address — just for us that one, we like to email out to see how it all went."

He nodded, taking the clipboard and noticing the way her eyes lingered on the scars on his face. It would usually set him off in some spiral of low-confidence, but for some reason, the feel of the clipboard and a new identity in his hands put him at ease. He could be _anyone_. He could be someone who turned into a ferocious beast and fought the town's people or he could be a protector, someone who earned these scars during a battle that saved the world.

Remus _could_ be anyone; he had the chance to be someone.

Slipping from her quietly and choosing to sit at one of the empty tables he stared down at the paper. The mantra, _Don't tickle a sleeping Dragon,_ at the top — his interest peaking at who Dragon was and why he disliked being tickled. The thought made him chuckle, and relax into the cushion of the velvet chair. He looked over the page several times, appreciating the font and the lines between each question — whoever had organised this, had put effort into it, and the very thought put a smile on his face. One that quickly dissolved when he felt his pocket vibrate.

 **LilyE:** _**Where r u?** _

**Remus:** _**Out.** _

**LilyE:** _**Bollocks. You lie.** _

**Remus:** _**I never lie. Gtg.** _

Panic began to simmer in his bones, and when the door to the pub opened, he sat bolt upright like a deer caught in the headlights. When he saw that the person coming through the door was male, and not, in fact, his friend using her iPhone to locate him. Remus briefly smiled at the memory of James looking exactly like a deer when he confessed to fancying Lily for five years, and wondered if he too looked similar, the thought seemed to settle him, and he hoped whatever male he met tonight liked to laugh at unfortunate friends.

As his eyes moved back to the clipboard, the door swung open again and he jumped. This time, though, Remus felt his wide stare catch as he met pair of silver orbs that took his breath away, and the man ran his hand through his hair, sweeping long, raven locks from his face. He was… _gorgeous_ ; beautiful in a way that you'd know he had a nice voice, a taste for expensive liquor, and was intelligent, without letting the room know it.

Remus was _doomed._

Looking down at his simple sweater and jeans combo, Remus sighed to himself; compared to one man in a suit, and this _God_ of a man dressed in a leather jacket, fitting black jeans and a t-shirt that seemed to emphasise the gym-honed figure underneath. Remus couldn't have looked less bothered about impressing someone, and it made him question even staying; except the grey eyes moved to him again, and all thoughts seized.

He was more than doomed. He was royally _fucked_.

* * *

As soon as his name was called out, he regretted his choice of animal. It had seemed like a good idea when he had jokingly put it, but after a thirty-minute wait, and having nothing to entertain himself after paranoia forced him to put his phone into aeroplane mode, he realised his mistake.

"Wolf, you'll be seated with Black Panther."

Remus shuffled over to where the woman was pointing and was thankful to see that _Black Panther_ was not the leather God he had first locked eyes with. If Remus was entirely truthful, Black Panther looked the entire opposite of his name — but Remus chose not to hold that against him.

"You all have ten minutes, happy _speed dating!_ " The cheery woman said before giving Remus the same smile she had done earlier — it didn't settle him as much, but he somehow suspected that was down to the fact he wouldn't be talking to her. He had always had an ease with talking to women — but that was probably due to the lack of sexual interest in them.

 _Black Panther_ , he learnt after an excruciating ten minutes, had nothing Panther-like about him — and Remus actually found that he himself was rather interesting by comparison.

He wondered if this was why the woman had smiled so nicely when his time had begun — and he began wondering if he had seen sympathy in her eyes, but he was unsure if that was more hopeful than truth.

Black Panther was an accountant — which even Remus shrivelled up at — and he had an interest in coin collecting. Remus hadn't written him off at that point, but when he began his argument — that Black Panther had, in fact, started himself — about how tea leaves were the only way you could enjoy a cup of tea, Remus prayed for the bell that ended the date.

"Times up! If the ones at the back move to their left and the ones closest to me stay where they are," Remus had never been more thankful for a woman shrieking than he was right now.

Black Panther shuffled in his seat, and Remus prayed he didn't ask him anything else because he wasn't sure he could be polite. "Nice to meet you," the man said as he stood, and Remus awkwardly shook his hand as he repeated the same.

He was about to bin off the entire night, wondering if he was just in a sea of another six men who were utterly lost causes. It wasn't as though he had a tonne going for him; he was anxious, psychologically damaged, afraid of his birthday, and socially awkward. If the first 'date' had been nothing short of a disaster, he couldn't imagine the rest of the night going well either..

"Y'alright… _Wolf,_ hey I like it," said a deep voice. Remus looked up and was immediately washed in grey that made him feel like he had a spotlight on him.

Words seemed to stick in his throat like gum to his shoes, and Remus lost all ability to think, never mind speak. He gazed over the chiselled, handsome- _as-hell_ man, and almost turned into a puddle.

"I'm… _Dog_ , but my friends call me Padfoot," the man winked as he pulled the seat towards the table, hand meeting the wood as his other lay his jacket over the floor. "Do your friends call you Moony? Or _Howler_?"

"Funny," Remus managed to spit out, and the man smiled — and he wasn't sure he had ever seen a more stunning smile. "I struggled with a name, this one though, it seemed… _appropriate_."

The man licked his lips — in a way that made Remus think he was stuck in slow motion. He only snapped out of it when he saw his mouth part, and Remus switched his ears back to listening. "Colour me intrigued. I cannot _wait_ to find out where that _appropriate_ name came from."

Remus could feel his heart thumping in his chest. He didn't even dare let his eyes wander down to the tight t-shirt with its exposed v-neck, out of fear he'd have a heart attack from being around a man so attractive — if that was even a thing.

The strangest sensation was bubbling away in his stomach, and while he knew he had always been attracted to men, Remus knew it had never been like this — not once had he ever felt this way. It didn't frighten him, which was another ball of confusion that Remus would deal with later.

Dog leant forward on the table, squarely meeting Remus' eyes as he softly smirked. "I'll put it out there. I'm a bit of an arse, _but only at times_. I'm an absolute disgrace to my family, and I smoke, but only socially because, well, see the first point."

Remus wasn't sure if it was the bluntness of his declaration, or just how brave it was, but Remus let the tension in his shoulders melt away, feeling at such ease with the person before him. If this complete stranger, who looked like he could have anyone, could just let himself go, then why couldn't Remus? Why did he live so tightly to the rules his mind made up, and why did he have to live to a ridiculous schedule that no other person could ever adhere to? This man — this long, dark haired man — had changed Remus unlike any other, and after only mere seconds with him; so much so, Remus decided to open up himself.

"My dad doesn't like me all that much because he resents me. Well, I think that; I don't know that for sure, but my mind is a pretty good judge of character. I like to binge watch TV, read, and I drink hot chocolate like a child — you know, with the spoon and marshmallows," Remus said as he began to wish he could retract his words. Why did he have to say marshmallows? _It was a childish word, for childish people who still drank bloody hot chocolate with bloody marshmallows!_ He could have at least waited for another date.

He could feel the hairs standing up on the back of his neck, but in nerves rather than in fear. Remus pushed on all the same, not allowing this moment to be dictated by the same fear the rest of his life.

"I have completed _Worms, Crash Bandicoot_ , and _Spyro_ more times than I'd like to admit," _why are you still talking?_ Remus hissed to himself. "I have all the PlayStation systems, and my bookshelf broke the other day because, as my friend likes to say, ' _I'm too nerdy for even my own world,'_ and I like collecting Blu-Rays. They're better quality. They'll last longer too, but I should stop talking. Yeah, stop talking Re — Wolf."

Remus dropped his head, allowing his eyes to notice the swirls of the wood as he hoped and prayed for anything to be said. Remus had fucked up. He knew that now that he had unleashed all of the very things that made him an unattractive mess; he was rather surprised he hadn't told Dog that he was in therapy — but then he had to save something for the next outburst.

Resenting the lack of sound, he balled his hand up under the table. Yet, still silence, that was all that filled the air. It made him want to rise from his seat, call time of death on the date that was only a minute in. Here before Remus was a man who had _literally_ been sent from the heavens and what had Remus done with this? He had spurted geek, nerd, and anxiety all over him.

The ground, by a matter of urgency, needed to swallow him up, and he was a little put out that it hadn't. That was until the man spoke. "Have you seen The Walking Dead then? Bloody _fuck_ Negan is a scary bastard isn't he? Handsome as hell, but..."

Remus was pretty sure he had just fallen in love. Cupid could rise from around him and stung him with an arrow to confirm it, but he didn't need it.

"He's probably my favourite villain so far," Remus replied with a confidence that weirdly felt natural to him. He could feel his palms beginning to sweat, and the way the man laughed had him near gasping for breath. He could listen to this man talk about even the most boring of things all day — _like tea leaves_ — and never be bored. Remus was sure of it. He felt it in every fibre of his body, almost like this man completed the odd edges of him and made him whole. Everything sounded so much more interesting coming from his lips, and each syllable was laced with an excitement Remus had never been around before.

As Dog continued to speak, Remus attempted to make out some of the tattoos that appeared only when the man moved. He so badly wished to see them closer — finding his new thoughts welcoming, and his interest in the man peaking with every second he let himself feel comfortable

Dog leant back into his chair, sighing heavily as he tapped his fingers on the table. "Answer me one question before the _bell of doom_ happens. Why would a handsome bloke such as yourself come _here_?"

He hadn't intended to let his jaw drop, but he did. Remus wanted to instantly reply that if _anyone_ shouldn't need a Singles Night for men, it was the God sitting across from him. He looked like every man, _and probably every woman's dream_ , dressed in skinny jeans and leather. His hair long, almost shampoo commercial worthy, with a ruggedness that made Remus' throat dry.

The question, especially in the situation presented, was _ridiculous_.

"You… you can't be _serious_?" Remus stammered, and the man smirked far too proudly for Remus' liking. "You look like you walked out of Men's Health and an Abercrombie commercial! I look a cross between a hard life, and a night went wrong."

Dog's eyes flashed with something that Remus couldn't place, but when he leant forward, and Remus had the chance to smell his aftershave, he was sure he had died and gone to heaven. "Wolf. You're the most handsome man _in here_. Don't let some twisted perception of yourself be what you think."

Remus was about to reply when the bell rang and his tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth.

Dog, who was smirking more prominently than before, rose from his seat and took his jacket in tow. "Hope to see ya."

All Remus could do was give a nod, and made a noise that was neither flattering nor human.

It was the oddest thing watching someone walk away when he could do little to call him back. Remus being himself, sighed slightly and began to play with the sleeve of his jumper. He knew the likeliness of meeting someone else like that was improbable. It was barely likely for him to find someone that intrigued him, never mind being as handsome as Dog — which, for the record, Remus was pretty sure no one else could possibly be as attractive as Dog. He was it now, the bar that you find set when you meet someone.

Good things like _him_ never happened to Remus — he had been sure at one point that he was cursed — and even knowing that, he couldn't find the words to call him back.

A shadow cast over the table and Remus nervously looked up and met the coldest black eyes he had ever seen. The sort of eyes that chilled someone down to the bone, if you let them, but it never got that far — Remus knew those eyes, and he wouldn't let them bother him again.

His temper began to rise, a bubbling of anger that seemed to consume all the happiness he had felt. Remus was even more surprised by his sudden tone. "Wait - what are you doing here? Your —"

Severus Snape, the man who had been a former friend of Lily — and had apparently fancied her before calling her a _whore_ in jest with his friends — was currently sat before him. "Animal _names, Wolf._ I am rather tired of having to remind you of _rules."_

The anger inside of him churned, "I thought you were –" _Straight._ That was what Remus had _wanted_ to say, but the word just never arrived. It wasn't that he was afraid or embarrassed of saying it, but for some reason the darkness that surrounded the man before him always made him feel on edge; he always worried that Snape would just snap and impale Remus with whatever sharp object was close.

"I'm not one for _boxes_ ," Snape droned.

"Of course you aren't, _Snake."_

The greasy haired man smirked, his black blazer being tugged around his chest. "It's nice to see you out and about. Heard you became a bit of a recluse, only coming out in the night time, when others would be hidden away _out_ of _sight_."

Remus was about to respond, his lips parted and a witty remark ready on his tongue, when he heard some hissing from beside him, his head turning to see a disgruntled person beside him and Dog smirking.

"So where were we?" Dog smiled.

Remus slowly began to smirk, liking this man more and more. "I think our date finished."

"Did it? _Or,_ did it just begin?" The dark eyebrows wiggling as Remus slowly smiled. "I think you were telling me about your wish to become a teacher."

Remus nervously looked at the seething man in front of him, but there was no way he would pass up talking to Dog to be polite.

"I like learning, and - and I hope to make others excited to learn too," Remus said.

His tone lacked the enthusiasm he would usually emit when talking about teaching, but it felt odd saying it to a man who was being called Dog, and with a man opposite him who he hated with all his life. Also for Remus, not knowing what Dog thought was beginning to make him feel on edge — because those he usually associated with all had tell tale signs — but Dog had none. His face was spread into a ready-made smirk, and Remus could only feel utter confusion at the sight.

"I want to fix things," Dog shrugged. "I like taking things apart; I like putting them together with… _improvement_ s _."_ Remus raised his brow, and Dog smirked even more proudly as he leant on the table and moved closer. "I like to play… _adult_ pranks."

Snape visibly recoiled, and if that was noticeable to Dog, Snape made sure to add a scoff.

Dog, who hadn't appreciated the noise, turned to face the slick haired man. "I assume your date, Wolf, doesn't have a _humerus_ bone in his body?"

"You could say that," Remus said confidently, meeting Snape's gaze with all he had — something he usually wasn't brave enough to do. "He has a different level of _humour_ , don't you Snake?"

Snape's lip curled, and he tilted his chin down and his hair curtained around his pale face. Remus tried to hide his happiness at making the man uncomfortable, usually finding the shoe on the other foot. Remus, after all, had suffered plenty of ridicule from Snape and his friends, more famously they had announced that Remus was a werewolf — which clearly wasn't true, but others at their secondary school didn't quite understand mythical creatures couldn't exist.

If not for Lily, and her friend Marlene, he was sure he would have been exiled. Lily, who was nothing short of brave, stood on the top of a bench outside and broadcasted that ' _simple minds, believe simple things, that come from simpletons'_ — and so began the breakdown of her friendship with Severus Snape.

"I assume you're attempting to be funny… _Wolf?"_ Snape applied heavy emphasis on the animal, and Remus felt himself go cold.

"I think he's quite funny," Dog chimed up, and Remus felt warmth flood over him, dousing the coldness. "I actually think quite a lot about Wolf."

Snape rolled his eyes, just as the bell rang, and he rose from his seat. "Simple minds and all that," Snape snarled bitterly, sweeping from the table and away from Dog and Remus.

Remus was back to wishing the ground would swallow him up; it was one to embarrass himself in front of Dog, but entirely another to be embarrassed by someone who had made Remus his arch-enemy. He had never had an arch-enemy in his life before he went to secondary school. Remus had tried to rebuff their differences, but he had always been met with more hate. Children, or teenagers, had never seemed to understand him — and his woes had only been confirmed when the group that called themselves _Mors Manger_ had targeted him after French.

The name itself had the word death in it, which did nothing to convince Remus that they weren't purposefully bullying him, and when they later confirmed that they were suspicious of his involvement in his mother's accident, Remus knew it was personal.

"He seems like a _stand-up guy_ ," Dog teased, and Remus hung his head in shame. "Hey, don't let him get to you, he seems like an arsehole."

Remus shrugged lightly because truthfully Dog was right, he shouldn't let Severus get to him, but he did; he was sure he always would. "He just said some things when I was at school. Guess I'm not as over them as I'd like," Remus said as lightly as he could, but his words were still coated in sadness.

"Sirius," Dog whispered as he stood up, and shifted around to sit beside him — completely ignoring the precession of the dates.

"Excuse me?"

Dog held his hand out, as if about to shake Remus', with a confident but warm smile on his face. "My name… _it's_ Sirius."

Remus felt his cheeks blush, "You aren't supposed to tell me your name."

"Well, clearly I'm not a _play by the rules_ sort of man,," Sirius said as Remus shook his hand with as much grip as he could. "I hope that is okay."

"I think that's just _fine,"_ Remus sniggered as their hands released the other, and an unsettlingly cold feeling filled Remus the moment he did. Those silver orbs were still watching him, and he got so lost in them he nearly forgot to mention his own name. "Remus, I'm… I'm Remus," he said nervously.

Sirius brushed his hair over his head, that devilish smirk rising up — the one that made Remus turn to liquid. "Hence _wolf_."

Remus nodded, "Sirius. Hence dog."

"Someone knows their stars, I'm impressed."

Sirius licked his lips and Remus could not take his eyes from the sight of the tip of his pink tongue, not that he tried. It was only when Sirius' tongue disappeared did Remus look back up, and see that the shade of silver had darkened impressively.

"I have a lot more impressive qualities," Remus said without missing much of a beat, and he instantly groaned at his own flirting. "Oh God! I am… _That was awful!_ "

"It wasn't _that_ bad," Sirius laughed, but it didn't stop the burning that was filling Remus' cheeks and chest. To say he was mortified was an understatement.

The moment, however, was interrupted — _thankfully_ — by a nervous cough. Without a second delay, Sirius turned to look over his shoulder and see a rather pale looking man stood above him.

"Can I help you?" Sirius asked, as pleasantly as ever.

The man that Remus noticed was named Cat, clasped his hands together to avoid him shaking any more than he already was under Sirius' gaze. "You - you're sat in my seat."

Remus hadn't known what to expect; half of him had suspected that he would be forced to deal with the dates for the rest of the evening — even if the perfect man, who would have scored his number regardless, was sat beside him. The other half had expected it to go like a movie, where Sirius would take his hand and gesture his head towards the door with a rather cool, ' _You wanna get out of here_ '.

In a way, he hadn't minded which. The prospect of suffering through these dates while making eyes over at Sirius had its merits he supposed, but he'd rather not have Severus lingering in the darkness watching him.

Sirius, however, sighed so loudly it cut through the room and Remus felt the eyes of everyone move onto them. "You know…" Remus watched Sirius frown even from the side profile, " _Cat_. I am truly sorry," Remus let out a breath he hadn't known he was holding as Sirius stood up. "Here you go, mate."

The man, who looked as shocked as Remus was at how gentle Sirius could be, despite his leather jacket, slowly sat down.

" _However_ ," Sirius smiled, and Remus' heart sped up. "I'll be taking this one with me, so you might have to have his date as well — a doubler or something," Sirius looked directly into Remus' eyes, filling him with something he wasn't sure he felt before but he loved all the same. "You wanna get out of here?"

Remus didn't need a minute, a moment, or a second. "Yes. Yes, um, let's go," he stood as he brushed down his jeans, and darted his eyes around before he checked his pockets for his possessions.

Sirius had already begun making his way to the door, leather jacket in hand though Remus hadn't seen him pick it up — and Remus quickly followed. With each confident step he took, all Remus thought was ' _Suck it Lily_ ', because there was no way she would ever believe him capable of this. He, Remus ' _careful-and-only-shops-at-late-night-hours-or-online'_ Lupin, had left with a man who he didn't know, but felt utterly himself with.

* * *

The organisers had begun protesting as Sirius held the door open, but the confidence that came from Sirius only seemed to calm Remus; breaking the rules didn't seem all that bad, but that could be because he was with a resident troublemaker himself.

He dived into his pocket, pulling out his battered iPhone as he tried to turn it on without Sirius knowing. Remus didn't want him to think that he didn't trust him or that he didn't _really_ want to come with him — because both of those things were extremely far from the truth. He did, however, feel obligated to tell Lily that he was out, and maybe lead her down a rabbit hole of wondering _what_ he was doing and who he was with.

"Are you a murderer?"

Remus looked up, his mouth agape and his eyes wide. "W-What?"

Sirius held his phone up, "My friend. He's worried about me. Thinks I attract weirdos just because my family are all off their heads."

The light from Remus' phone suddenly flashed between them, and the buzzing of a what sounded like a thousand texts erupted from Remus' hand. "No. But apparently, my friend seems to think I've _been_ murdered _."_

He laughed gently, and Remus found it the most beautiful sound even out here — out of the _pressure zone._ Remus felt like he had known this man forever, and it had been less than hour. He felt so commercial, so teenage-romance, that it made Remus smile; he didn't regret it, not even if it was so similar to a rom-com that he had to pinch himself to make sure it was real.

"I assure you murder is not my game," Sirius chuckled as he began texting furiously. "I do _not_ like blood."

"Colour or meaning?" Remus asked as he tried to get his thumb to unlock his phone.

Sirius sniggered, "What sort of question is that?"

It wasn't first date material, or just meeting material. Hell, it probably wasn't material at all for someone who didn't know a man's surname, but it trickled from Remus' tongue all the same. "I don't like blood either. Lost my mum in a car accident when I was a teenager, hence the rather attractive scars littering my body. Lucky to have walked away, even the driver of the car that barrelled into us said at his trial."

Remus, who had been staring at his phone screen and not at all focusing on what he was saying, looked up. He didn't need a mirror to see the panic that was in his own eyes because he could feel it swirling inside of him, but even though he had just confessed it all, he didn't feel uncomfortable having said it. He just hoped it hadn't made Sirius feel awkward — the man _he had just_ met.

"I'm —"

"— The next word out of your mouth best not be sorry," Sirius said, cutting him off. "You have nothing, _nothing_ to be sorry about. Although," Sirius said smugly, "Your scars are hella attractive, but I think your story is a little weak."

Remus watched the man as he began to smile playfully. "Excuse me?"

"Well, all I'm saying is, that your _tragic_ story sounds a little weak compared to my harrowing tale of survival and sorrow."

Feeling any flick of awkwardness fall from him, Remus continued in his steps as he walked beside the dark haired man down the street. "Oh do tell, _Shakespeare_."

Sirius cleared his throat, and in a voice that was similar to a force playwright's voice, he began. "My rather _delightful_ mother attempted to get me to become a drug dealer for her _pals_. When I objected and threatened to spill her dirty secrets to the world, she locked me up in the basement of our three story house, which is filled with trinkets from _yesteryear_. I swear there is a plate in there older than the pub we've just been in, and that place has been standing —"

"— How is that relevant?" Remus said.

"— It is all important for the tale, young Wolf," Sirius said in his usual tone before clearing his throat again. "When she had me locked up, like the deranged woman she was, she decided killing me was a far more suitable option — my good pal, and long time confidant, James, rescued me in a harrowing mission that could have ended in more blood than The Walking Dead. I stole the plate, too… sometimes me and Prongs eat off it."

Remus stopped and smiled at Sirius, the two of them coming to a small cafe; one that, in Remus' opinion, made the best chocolate cake ever. "I am so thankful that your friend saved your life, Sirius."

"The world would be a little darker without me in it," Sirius chuckled, and Remus frowned slightly. "Ah, that would be so much funnier if I told you my surname. Black. I'm Sirius Black."

"Of course it is, makes sense now with the reference," Remus smirked, and Sirius shoved him a little. "Lupin. Remus Lupin."

Sirius opened the door to the cafe, and Remus walked in, feeling a little embarrassed he hadn't objected and held the door for him. His usual booth — the one near the bookcase and far away from the toilets — was free, and he made his way over.

"So wait, your name literally means _wolf, wolf_."

"So it does," Remus muttered dryly as he slipped into the booth at the cafe.

Remus leant over for a menu and winked as he did. Sirius who was still struggling not to erupt into laughter or a grin over the meaning of his name, seemed to have missed the little flirtation — however, to Remus it was a big deal.

The two ended up ordering a cake to share, and a hot chocolate for Remus which had been ordered by Sirius, who had protested that the waitress 'mustn't forget the damned marshmallows' — Remus didn't show his embarrassment, he compartmentalized that one for later.

They began talking as though this was their tenth date, rather than their first. There was so much that Remus felt comfortable saying — especially over cake and a drink — but he didn't want to run out of things to say, although he was sure that would never happen.

It had all been odd, as though the stars had some play in his life. Today on a whim he had entered the pub he usually avoided, Remus had entered a Speed Dating evening that he didn't make it all the way through — but not for the reason he initially thought — and he met a man that he wished he had by his side his entire life. Remus wasn't one to believe in fate or soulmates, but there was something about Sirius Black that made him believe in everything and anything — and it made him feel happy, content. He even felt like he could fall in love.

He was mid-smile, and half thinking he would just say exactly what he thought when his phone buzzed again.

 **LilyE:** _**I cannot believe you. Where r u? I must see this man.** _

The largest, brightest smile may have spread over Remus' face, and he wasn't sure why. Well, he knew the reason why, because the reason was sat in front of him — but the giddy feeling in his stomach made him so unsure of everything. He felt lightweight, free, and happy — and that wasn't something he had experienced a lot of.

"What's your friend saying?"

"Interfering," Remus said with a smile, his fingers busy replying.

 **Remus:** _**Be cool Lily, damn.** _

He looked up, not expecting to see Sirius have his elbows on the table and looking at him as if Remus was something of wonder. He would have turned around and made sure that there was no one else behind him that could have gotten Sirius to stare this way — but Remus liked this booth because there was a wall behind, and he could see over the entire cafe.

"What?" Remus blushed.

Sirius shook his head, his thoughts and smile not fading in the slightest. "I just can't believe I met you."

Remus mirrored Sirius' smile. "I was thinking just the same."

" _HOLY-Shit!_ "

The two quickly turned their attention to the red haired woman stood, hands on hips, with a smirk so confident that it could have quaked every dictator in history. All Remus could think was every curse word in the dictionary, and hating that he was so darn predictable, that _of course_ Lily would find him here.

"So, the man who didn't wish for me to interfere, met the man who said he didn't wish to be set up with," Lily smiled as she stepped over, her boots clicking against the settled silence of the cafe. Sirius slowly turned to meet Remus' eyes, and while it took Remus a second to figure it out, the penny dropped. "So, both of you just _happened_ to meet one another? Now, if only you had let someone with expertise do this, you two could have been snogging long before now — wait, have you —"

" _No_!" The two of them said in unison, before looking at the other and blushing.

While they had met only tonight, they both shared something that gave them a chance to speak a language they both only knew. Sirius' eyes screamed that he wanted to kiss Remus, and Remus was sure his eyes said the same back — both trying not to lose themselves and think about it too much, especially with Lily so close.

As if remembering she was stood there, Remus blinked and his brain whirled back into action. "You… this was who you wanted…?" Remus asked Lily, as she nodded with a triumphant smile.

James slowly walked over, holding two glasses of Coke, wearing a grin that made Remus wish he could hide in his jumper and become invisible. As soon as the Cokes were placed down, he high-fived Sirius, and a mountain of pennies began to drop before Remus' eyes.

"This, is _James_?" Remus asked Sirius.

James, who had always been late to the party, laughed."No fucking way, Lily can you believe this?" Her head shook and James snorted with laughter. "Well _hello_ , Mr Murderer."

All Remus heard was shushed ' _Shut Up, James'_ and Sirius look over at him apologetically. It took him a moment, a brief moment, but in the current situation, it must have felt like an eternity. Remus laughed, a full-on, belly laugh that was loud enough to cover the music and possibly force everyone to look at him. He didn't care; he couldn't care anymore.

Remus felt like a new man, as though the evening had rebirthed him somehow. His laughter felt rich and full of energy, his smile felt natural and not forced, and it was all because of Sirius; all because of a man he had just met, who he couldn't imagine being without. The situation, and how it came to be, was barbaric, ridiculous, and something out of one of Lily's magazines with their 'Embarrassing Story' page. It was laughable — brilliant of course, but very laughable.

"You alright, Wolf?" Sirius asked, a smile so beautiful on his face that Remus knew he couldn't live without it in his life. "I don't like Wolf. What about… hmm, _Moony_? I prefer Moony."

Wiping the laughter tears from his eyes, Remus calmed and softly smiled. "Only if I can call you Starry."

"Ay," Sirius said as the two held their private joke.

Remus looked over to see Lily and James, her eyes full of a happiness that couldn't be fabricated. He assumed was because of the sight before her eyes, never before seeing Remus out at this time, or with someone other than her. James looked just as content, the two of them mirroring proud parents watching their sons find happiness.

"Padfoot," James suddenly said. "Call him Padfoot."

Lily pouted, "I like _Moon & Stars, _that's cute."

James wrapped his arm around her hip as he smirked. "They are already two men who come from the most unhappy homes, please do not give other people more weapons to throw at them."

Remus felt his hand being wrapped in another's, and his eyes moved over to Sirius who looked at him in a way that he had only wished someone would look at him. "Would you, Moony of Lupin, care to go on a date with me that will not be crashed by interfering friends?"

He gripped Sirius' hand a little tighter, finding how perfect their fingers slotted between the others. "I do, Padfoot of Black, wish to go on a date as long as it is not to this establishment or a cinema," Remus leant over the table so not to shout, "I get claustrophobic."

"I have a perfect idea. A brilliant, and _wonderful_ idea," Sirius smiled, and while wicked and intimidating — Remus didn't feel the least bit scared.

He hadn't felt scared since he had laid eyes on Sirius, and he wasn't sure he ever would, knowing deep down that this man would be in his life forever. He just felt it, and for once Remus didn't overthink it. He just let it be.

**Author's Note:**

> Find Me On Tumblr: [josiemoone](https://josiemoone.tumblr.com)


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